Hucknall drug dealer caught red-handed with £30,000 of cocaine and heroin

David Banton was spotted by officers carrying out a drug deal in Bentinck Road, Forest Fields, after arriving in a taxi outside a block of flats.

Officers from the city knife crime team followed the vehicle in an unmarked car and then joined uniformed colleagues to pull it over in nearby Forest Road East.

Banton, who was in the back of the taxi, was searched and found to be carrying about £30,000 of class A drugs and a large amount of cash.

He also had multiple mobile phones in his pockets, which were ringing constantly while officers detained him.

Banton was later found to also be in possession of a knife after the incident on the evening of December 22 last year.

The 58-year-old, of Oakenhall Avenue, Hucknall, appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday, November 22 where he was given a two-year jail sentence, suspended for two years.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply cocaine, one count of possession with intent to supply heroin, possession of criminal property and possession of a knife in a public place.

Detective Constable Helen Pannell, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “The knife crime team does a fantastic job patrolling our streets and their work goes far beyond taking weapons out of circulation.

“In this case, officers have spotted a drug deal taking place and worked with uniformed colleagues to stop and search David Banton who was found with large quantities of drugs.

“Detectives then carried out a thorough investigation which led to Banton being charged with these very serious offences.

“This police work has directly led to a drug dealer being put before the courts, large amounts of cocaine and heroin being destroyed and wads of ill-gotten cash being seized.

“Class A drugs destroy lives and policing teams across the force continue to work hard to take them off the streets and put the dealers who profit from exploiting vulnerable users before the courts.”